A Shinobi's Path
by DragonsForce91
Summary: Naruto begins his next journey to protect his friends from danger. He knows the dangers ahead of him will be difficult, but he is willing to make the sacrifices. Darkness surrounds his new allies, but he knows he must fight against that darkness. His path is set before him all he has to do is take the first step. [Connects to 'The Red Fox' and 'A Blossom's Hope']


The Red Fox Sub-Arc 2

**A/N: Welcome the second one shot for 'The Red Fox'. I have wanted to do this one shot for a long time, but I put it on hold because I wanted to work on the main arcs of the story. However, a request from oksus has given me the enthusiasm to write a one shot from Naruto's point of view.**

**Anyhow, this occurs after 'The Red Fox' and shortly after the 'The Blossom's Hope.' Once again, this story is part of the major crossover between Naruto and five other manga series. Now follows my introduction.**

**Naruto continues his journey after his disappearance during the Fourth Shinobi War. He journeys with a new friend as he recalls his past moments with Orion and Sakura. Naruto knows it will be some time before he ever sees his friends again, but he knows his journey is important and accepts it. The shinobi prepares to take the next step in his goal to save the universe from darkness.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto.**

*SC* = Scene Change

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

'_**Demon Thoughts'**_

A Shinobi's Path

Naruto walks through a thick forest. He enjoys the fresh air, which he is lucky is oxygen. Each step he takes creates a mushy sound as his feet connect to the muddy ground. He notices the bright sun beginning to rise slowly causing the darkness to fade away.

The blonde shinobi knows that he is similar to the sun. He has to be the light that will help cause the darkness to fade. However, he knows he is not alone. Six other people will join him in this fight. Who knows, there might be more people in the end. Regardless, Naruto will be there until the very end. He will fight to make sure his friends are safe from the darkness.

As Naruto continues to walk, he looks to his right, noticing a person wearing a straw-hat, who has an x-shaped scar on his chest and a scar underneath his left eye. Naruto smirks a bit. Even though Naruto has left behind many of his friends, he has made a new friend in the process.

At this time, Naruto recalls some of Orion's words during his time on this planet.

Flashback

An elder man with white-gray hair walks towards Naruto. He wears a white long sleeve shirt, black chest armor, thick pants, and a large pouch around his waist. The older man stops in front of Naruto and stares at the blonde shinobi.

"Why me Orion?" asked Naruto. "I never really thought about it. You told me I am someone important. That I am one of the chosen ones."

"Yes, you are," replied Orion. "However, I see something in you. Not just your strength, but your heart. You have felt pain that nobody should have experience, yet here you are. You stand here with determination and hope. That is what I am looking for. You are hope. In fact, let me tell you the same thing I told a friend of mine. You are the light in a realm of darkness. The hope that will lead us through the dark and into a future we can truly live in. The man that will be a leader. A leader that can show us the way. The hope we all seek."

Orion stops his speech as he turns his attention to the falling sun.

"However, there will also be darkness. One cannot live without the other. The darkness will always return and there will always be someone to stand in the way. The light that will stop the darkness."

Naruto smiles as he listens to Orion's words.

"And you think I am this light?" asked Naruto.

Orion turns to Naruto with his own smile.

"Yes, but not just you. Six others will join you and will bathe in the light. After that millions of people will follow the seven of you," replied Orion. "I am placing my hope into you."

Flashback Ends

Naruto's memory ends as he returns to his senses. Soon, he comes to a complete stop in his walk causing the straw-hat person to stop as well. Naruto turns his attention to a nearby tree. He has seen this tree at this location for the past few weeks. Ever since he found it, he has been visiting the tree since it reminds him of a special person back home.

In front of Naruto is a cherry blossom tree. Naruto was surprised when he found the tree a few weeks back. It is rare to find cherry blossom trees on this planet. This thought rings through Naruto's mind. He is no longer on the same planet as his friends. He is so far away. He is unable to talk to them. He is unable to see or hear them. Naruto misses his friends so much. However, he misses Sakura the most. The woman who took his heart and gave him the love he so much desire. Sure, at first Sakura was not the best when it came to treatment of Naruto. However, as time passed by, her attitude towards him changed. Eventually, this change led to love between Naruto and Sakura. The blonde shinobi begins to recall his last moment with Sakura before they went into war against Madara and Wotan.

Flashback

The sun is barely setting as Naruto and Sakura finish their dinner. Due to being a jinchuriki, Naruto along with Killer B were set in the center of the army to avoid capture. After Naruto and Sakura finished setting up the tent, they decided to eat dinner. Now, with dinner done, the young couple went to talk to their friends. Neither one knows what will happen the next day, so, they decided to spend as much time with their friends.

Naruto looks at Sakura and can see the hurt in her eyes. The grieving for her father still shows in Sakura. It is too soon, yet here she is. Another battle is about to occur, with no knowledge of who will get hurt or worse. Naruto decides to hold onto Sakura as long as he can.

"I love you, Sakura-chan," said Naruto.

Sakura smiles as she responds, "I love you too, Naruto-kun."

"How come you hardly use –kun?" asked Naruto.

Sakura shrugs, "I guess I am so used to calling you without honorifics, I got used to it. Anyhow, doing so only shows how close we are. You don't always have to call me Sakura-chan."

"Aw, but like you, I called you Sakura-chan for so long that it is a habit," replied Naruto.

Sakura giggles a bit before placing her head on Naruto's shoulder.

"I guess some old habits die hard," said Sakura.

Naruto wraps his arms around Sakura as the pink hair kunoichi's back touches Naruto's chest. She snuggles into Naruto trying to get as much warmth as she can.

Naruto and Sakura continue to look around them. They see Kiba and Hinata talking with each other. Ino tries to stop Choji from hogging all the food as Tenten shows Neji a few of her new weapons. Shikamaru lies down with Temari as they watch the night sky. Guy and Lee continue their usual showing. They watch as Kakashi reads his Icha Icha Paradise Book. Shino and Sai watch the entire group have their conversations as they rest up for the battle.

Naruto and Sakura turn their gaze across the rest of the field seeing a few faces among their allies. B and his brother A, talk with the other Kages including Tsunade and Gaara. Shizune commands the medical ward as she prepares herself.

The young couple sighs before returning their attention to each other.

"Naruto, I want to give you something," said Sakura.

Naruto raises an eyebrow.

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

Sakura gives him a soft smile. Sakura unwraps herself from Naruto and grabs Naruto's hand. Naruto stands up and Sakura leads him to their tent. Suddenly, it dawn on Naruto what Sakura wanted.

"Are you sure Sakura? We are only sixteen," said Naruto.

"I don't care how old we are. I want this and I know you want it as well. Also, do not worry. I know we are too young to have children. All females learn the jutsu needed to stop impregnation. The past month has been wonderful with you. You deserve it," replied Sakura.

Flashback Ends

A shiver goes down Naruto's spine as his memory stops before the hot action he got during that night. Sakura gave herself to him. He does feel bad about disappearing after the war. He never got the chance to move on with his life with Sakura by his side. He can only hope Sakura will still be there when he returns. However, Naruto does not know how long it will take to defeat the shadow monsters. It could take months. It could take years. How many years will it take? Naruto does not know the answer to that question. In fact, he fears it might be ten or twenty years.

Naruto shudders at the thought of never seeing his friends for twenty years. By that point, he will never be Hokage. He will miss Sakura's life. Who knows, she might move on to a better person. It could be a person, who would spend his life taking care of Sakura. A pain shoots through Naruto's heart the moment that thought went through his mind. Regardless, he will always miss Sakura. He will always love her.

'_**She will wait for you,'**_ added Kurama.

'_What makes you say that?'_ wondered Naruto.

'_**That night, I saw in her heart the deep love she has for you,' **_said Kurama. _**'Trust me Naruto. Sakura will wait for you.'**_

Naruto smiles at Kurama's words. He knows the fox is right. Sakura will wait. Naruto has the feeling that Sakura will wait until she is old and gray for Naruto. Naruto hopes it does not take that long, but she will always be there for him.

The blonde shinobi begins to feel warmth on his face. This warmth snaps him out of his current thoughts causing Naruto to look at the rising sun. The sun begins to rise creating a beautiful sunrise warming Naruto and his surroundings. The moment the sun raises high enough. Life begins to wake in the forest. Birds begin chirping. Monkeys begin yelling. Panthers begin roaring.

The sunrise is a great sight for Naruto. He begins to recall the last time he saw Orion.

Flashback

"Why must we hide?" asked Naruto.

"It is not time to counterattack," replied Orion as he prepares for his next journey. "As we are now, we will not stand a chance. The enemy is too strong and there are only a handful of people capable of stopping the darkness. For now, you must hide until the moment is right to fight back."

Naruto sighs, but decides to agree with Orion.

"Trust me, Wotan and his allies will kill you the moment they know where you are," continued Orion. "I know more people are dying as we wait, but not all lives can be saved. We must take the situation one step at a time. One day, Wotan and his allies will suffer for their evil. Until then, we wait."

"Fine, but how long will it take to gather our allies?" asked Naruto. "I already got him."

Naruto points to the sleeping pirate, who wears the straw-hat.

"I know, but let me handle the rest," said Orion. "I did just save you from sudden death."

"Yeah, yeah," replied Naruto. "Thanks by the way."

Flashback Ends

Naruto's memory ends as his thoughts return to Sakura. Every day, he continues to think about her. If only she were with him, but that will put her in danger. He does not want Sakura in any kind of danger. He knows she can take care of herself, but he will never forgive himself if she dies.

Suddenly, a lion appears in front of Naruto breaking his thoughts of Sakura.

"Master Naruto," said the lion. "There is someone you should meet."

"Meet you say?" inquired Naruto. "Who?"

"I don't remember his name, but he is a saiyan," replied the lion.

"What's a saiyan?" asked the straw-hat pirate.

"Why don't you two ask the saiyan yourselves," replied the lion.

"All right, let's go!" replied the straw-hat person.

"I guess we should get going," said lion.

Naruto nods his head as he and his straw-hat friend begin to run back to their hidden base.

As Naruto continues to run back, his thoughts go to the upcoming war. This war will be bigger than anything he has seen. He knows he must be ready for the war. If he is unprepared, he might die during the battle. He cannot afford death, for Naruto's friends safety depends on his victory.

'_I am the hope. I am the light. I am one of the seven who will lead this universe to a better future,'_ thought Naruto. _ 'I will make sure my friends have a future that we can all be proud of. I will make a future where Sakura and I can live with our friends. A future, where families can walk the streets, without the shadow monsters around them.'_

Naruto sees the cave opening, which leads to the underground base. Each step is a step closer to war. Each step is a step closer to a chance of death. However, each step is also a step closer to a chance of peace. Each step is a step closer to returning to Sakura.

Naruto runs into the cave with a smile on his face. No matter the dangers he faces, he will survive because he has friends waiting for him. He has a beautiful woman who loves him waiting for him.

'_Sakura-chan, I promise to return one day,'_ thought Naruto. _'I promise to build a future for you and our friends. I will help end this darkness over us. I will return to everyone with the bright light of hope. This is my path as a shinobi and protector.'_

Naruto's story continues in…

The Galactic Knights: Formation

*SC*

**A/N: I enjoyed writing this one shot. I guess it is a good idea to show everyone what Naruto is thinking about before his future conflict.**

**Now, 'The Galactic Knights: Formation' will occur in the future. By the time I release this one shot, I should have a handful of remaining stories before I start writing the crossover. This includes 'The Substitute Shinigami' and two more stories before the crossover.**

**Anyhow, I want to thank everyone that has read this story and to please review. Thanks for the support.**


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